When you go to a Dystopia Rising LARP game, it’s all about what you see. Blood smears the faded shirts and pants of Lascarians; peeling skin flakes off of Retrograde faces; and torn scarves wrap around Rovers. The world of Dystopia Rising is inherently visual, but it can be difficult as a new player to decide exactly what to wear for your first event. Fortunately, there are some new materials to help with that.

Kitty Rode has never been to a Dystopia Rising LARP game, but she heard more than enough about it to pique her interest. Inspired by the written LARP materials and accounts from her friends, she created a Pinterest that captures the costuming and essence of each Strain of the Dystopia Rising universe. The results are spot on.

“I am a very visual person; I have a background in visual arts, fashion design and theater,” said Kitty Rode.

Rode first heard about Dystopia Rising through a few of her Canadian LARPing friends who made the trek down to the Dystopia Rising: New Jersey game. After hearing their amazing stories about the event, Rode decided to create an official Dystopia Rising Pinterest profile as a way to get involved.

“When I picture the DR world I want to see everything in extreme detail complete with colors, textures, smells and sounds,” said Rode. “I also take pride in realism in a LARP setting, so I created the Pinterest profile both to satisfy my own artistic tastes, and to help new players envision the world and their future characters with a high caliber of realism.”

The Pinterest page has pictures sorted by Strains, props, armor, weapons and even accessories. You can find everything from costume inspiration to do-it-yourself tutorials.

“When I search for images, I look for unique combinations of materials, interesting modifications to everyday clothing, and images that portray what I think the game setting should look like,” said Rode. “The focus is definitely on building a realistic post-apocalyptic world, centered around the DR rulebook.”

When you put together a costume, incorporate patched and stained clothing, uneven hems and patchwork pieces of armor. More importantly, keep the character’s strain in mind. The Pinterest board can be a huge help in that case.

“All in all, the Pinterest board was my baby that happened to become recognized by directors and creators,” said Rode.

Want to see the costume inspiration for yourself? You can check out the Pinterest board here.